tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post779883652858806010..comments2023-09-11T23:57:00.520-05:00Comments on Velvet Sacks: A not-so-brief editorialLinda@VShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04499621332375290781noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-72901233073200588642007-04-21T19:36:00.000-05:002007-04-21T19:36:00.000-05:00Annie, how interesting! Thanks for looking that u...Annie, how interesting! Thanks for looking that up for us. This might explain the desire for assault weapons, too: with men, everything always seems to come down to which one has the biggest "gun."Linda@VShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04499621332375290781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-28075356264338320922007-04-21T17:38:00.000-05:002007-04-21T17:38:00.000-05:00Thinking about your last comment led me to this in...Thinking about your last comment led me to this information: <BR/><BR/>"Richard Hernstein has noted that the more heinous the crime, the greater the disproportion between men and women. This certainly holds true for homicide. According to statistics published by the U.S. Department of Justice, men committed 87.5 percent of murders in 1999. The ratio of male to female homicides was approximately nine to one. Almost three-fourths of male homicides and 80 percent of female homicides were perpetrated against men. Males were more likely to choose a gun as their weapon, but women preferred a cleaner means of killing, such as arson or poisoning (http://www.deathreference.com<BR/>/Gi-Ho/Homicide-Epidemiology-of.html).Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08273873865160002759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-77080124747379776612007-04-20T23:12:00.000-05:002007-04-20T23:12:00.000-05:00Keepers, I'm so happy (and lucky) that the people ...Keepers, I'm so happy (and lucky) that the people who visit this blog tend to be those who respect others' opinions and think things through. Even when we ultimately draw different conclusions, we listen and seek to understand. If the rest of the world were as reasonable as the people in this tiny corner of cyberspace, there'd be no need to discuss the pros and cons of gun control.<BR/><BR/>Patsy, you might be on to something with your population explosion theory. I know tempers are more volatile around here since Hurricane Katrina packed us all together so tightly. <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, that wouldn't explain the wild-west phase of our history. There were plenty of shootings back then, even with all the wide open spaces.<BR/><BR/>Hmmm. I'm thinking...do you know if a testosterone ban has ever been considered?Linda@VShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04499621332375290781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-28769347325303504682007-04-20T22:38:00.000-05:002007-04-20T22:38:00.000-05:00i will tell you what i think is wrong with our cou...i will tell you what i think is wrong with our country, when i was young some people ran an experment with rats, they put two rats in a cage a male and a female and let them breed and keep all the increase in the cage also. Time came when thee rats became so crowded that they began to kill each other. I understand that this was a new thing they were doing. <BR/>I think that is the reason we have these terrible happening now in the cities people are packed together like rats and they kill each other.<BR/>When i worked at Tyson there were a lot of people and i can say since i don't have to go there any more my life has improved.<BR/>i will say you are right about a lot of the guns, i read about.assulte guns are not necessary. i don't even like short barrel guns. one shot 22 rifles are my choice. i also don't like the law they passed in our state that says you can carry a concealed gun. i figure if you are carring a gun everone has the right to know.as for me i like to express my opinions and i like people who do the same.<BR/>I think if the truth be told i also like to get on the other side of a discussion and go at it.patsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698348452802053572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-86265324462730910892007-04-20T21:49:00.000-05:002007-04-20T21:49:00.000-05:00this is an excellent post, thank you for writing i...this is an excellent post, thank you for writing it and presenting it. I hope a lot of people read this and think about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-90196249740394150882007-04-20T20:49:00.000-05:002007-04-20T20:49:00.000-05:00Patsy, the incidents I wrote about took place in d...Patsy, the incidents I wrote about took place in different parts of the country: Missouri, New York, Texas and Louisiana, but none of them was in a rural area.<BR/><BR/>I want the same rights you do, including the right to own a gun. But just as there are requirements for exercising some of our other basic freedoms--the right to vote, for example--I believe there should be certain standards of responsibility attached to the right to bear arms. I also believe there are guns available today that are lethal beyond the imaginations of the folks who drafted the 2nd Amendment. To my way of thinking, there is NO valid reason for anyone other than law enforcement or military personnel to have access to these types of weapons. They're designed for one purpose: to kill humans, many humans if necessary (or desirable), in a short period of time. For the life of me I can't imagine any reason why the ban on these guns was lifted.<BR/><BR/>And, for the record, I'm very glad we have the right to express ideas that are different from each other. We couldn't learn from each other if we didn't listen to different ideas.Linda@VShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04499621332375290781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-28058962984577503322007-04-20T20:13:00.000-05:002007-04-20T20:13:00.000-05:00all the things you wrote about are just terrible a...all the things you wrote about are just terrible and as i searched my mind i could not think of one such happening in my experince so i have decided that you and i though about the same age have lived in different area, i have lived most of my life in a rural area. the reason i fear gun control is in reading history the first step to dictator ship is removing guns from the common people. some people will argue that this is nonsence but i have always thought that getting the guns out of the people hands would be starting down a slippery slop to a dictator. i don't use a gun . i don't want a gun but i still want the right to own one. to me it's like the right to protest. i have never protested in a group for or against any thing or anyone but i want to right to do so. i want the right to express ideas that are different than other peoples ideas. to me this what freedom is.patsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698348452802053572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-74153074222876289822007-04-20T13:59:00.000-05:002007-04-20T13:59:00.000-05:00Maxngabbie, your experience with handguns was the ...Maxngabbie, your experience with handguns was the scary, up-close-and-personal kind most of us will never know. Thank you for sharing it. I especially like the point you made about how easy it is to get a handgun permit. I think it should be at least as difficult to get a gun permit as it is to get a driver's license. In addition to the criminal background check, there should be psychological tests and safety training. And if somebody showed anger because of all the red tape? Too bad, that response would keep them from getting the gun.<BR/><BR/>Janet, I agree with what you said about violent entertainment. As much as I love a good mystery, there's a vast difference between exposure to one violent crime in the course of a book or a movie (which used to be the norm) and non-stop shooting and explosives in the movies today--or hour upon hour of violent-crime TV shows.<BR/><BR/>As for your comment that the bad guys would still have guns even if they were banned, I'm sure some of the bad guys would. But I still think we could make it more difficult for them. <BR/><BR/>Carmon, if anyone's lifestyle would justify owning a gun, yours would. I think each of us has to weigh the odds and determine whether we're likely to be in more danger from an intruder (human or animal) or from a loaded weapon in the house. (If it's not loaded, in my opinion, it's not ready to protect you when you need it anyway.)<BR/><BR/>Sunflower, I've seen those exact statistics somewhere--but can't remember where. Those are actually the statistics I wanted to link to, but it was getting late and I was tired. I'll keep looking and post them if I find them.<BR/><BR/>Duly Inspired, knowing your dad, I'm not at all surprised you had the kind of gun-safety training you did. And I know exactly what you mean about removing the gun option from your home. Excellent choice.<BR/><BR/>Creekhiker, what an agonizing two minutes that must be. Horrible thought! Your comparison of these shooters to suicide bombers is a valid one. We are definitely living in strange times.Linda@VShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04499621332375290781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-58351949159371721532007-04-20T12:32:00.000-05:002007-04-20T12:32:00.000-05:00Velvet, Wonderful and eloquent as always. I grew u...Velvet, Wonderful and eloquent as always. <BR/><BR/>I grew up like Duly... guns were for hunting. I never touched them except under supervision. I was one of those strange kids who actually listened to grownups! In fact, when I was home in July, my brother-in-law asked me to retrieve something out of his nightstand. I returned without it... it was under his gun.<BR/><BR/>The other really sad thing about reading the stats you linked to is it doesn't talk about the "failure rate" - those who attempt suicide with a gun and fail. I did some research on this for an article once and was stunned to learn that a bullet to the head takes around two minutes to actually kill. Those two minutes must feel like an eternity to someone trying to end their pain "instantly."<BR/><BR/>In the end, I don't know the answer but I do think the gun lobby in this country is impossible to face. <BR/><BR/>I've started to think of these idiots as America's version of the suicide bomber...how do you fight that kind of hatred and stupidity?CreekHiker / HollysFollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14987597104795294851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-43107602248759405932007-04-20T11:00:00.000-05:002007-04-20T11:00:00.000-05:00Growing up with guns, I always believed them to be...Growing up with guns, I always believed them to be for hunting. Period. We lived with a gun case in the house, glass front, key 'hidden' on top, bullets elsewhere. At the same time, I was always taught to respect guns, and even took a riflery course. All that in mind and I wouldn't have one in my house. When you have guns, then guns become an option.Duly Inspiredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14667265361131163774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-46256613102385075202007-04-20T09:46:00.000-05:002007-04-20T09:46:00.000-05:00I would love to know the statistics for people who...I would love to know the statistics for people who have actually protected themselves against a robber or whoever, with a gun vs. those senselessly killed by guns, either by accident, self-inflicted or by a criminal.<BR/><BR/>I have no personal experience with guns - the closest being a murder in a friend's office - where a disgruntled man came in and shot his ex-girlfriend, the receptionist and then killed himself.<BR/><BR/>There is no excuse for selling high powered weapons to the public.Sunflower Optimismhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04797860099404871043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-137851942778282642007-04-20T08:32:00.000-05:002007-04-20T08:32:00.000-05:00Thanks for this post Velvet...my father had a foot...Thanks for this post Velvet...my father had a foot locker full of guns brought back from WWI and WWII. The trunk was kept locked at all times but he did teach us the dangers of guns and respect for them. Mike and I talk all the time about the legitimate need for a gun out here with feral dogs, bears, mountain lions etc but somehow in five years we haven't gotten around to getting one.<BR/><BR/>At the same time, I agree with Janet that we have to look at our society as a whole and what is the source of all this anger, depression and acting out with violence. CarmonLife at Star's Resthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11068869890677539768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-13019439198160624772007-04-20T08:16:00.000-05:002007-04-20T08:16:00.000-05:00I think this debate has been going on since the fi...I think this debate has been going on since the first prehistoric man picked up a stick and beat another man with it, and the other man picked up a rock and beat the man with the stick. Even if guns were banned, the bad guys would still have them. I don't know what cna be done. <BR/><BR/>My problem is with the escalating violence in TV shows, movies, and video games. We didn't have this crap when we were kids, and our generation turned out pretty well. If I'd watched something called Cop Killer instead of the Road Runner, maybe I'd be a violent person today. I think we need to clean up what passes for entertainment these days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21612081.post-18982430207518798152007-04-20T07:31:00.000-05:002007-04-20T07:31:00.000-05:00I knew you weren't finished with this subject. My ...I knew you weren't finished with this subject. My opinion is I wish people didn't "feel" as though they need to own a hand gun. In the state of Michigan, you may obtain a handgun, and get a concealed weapons permit, only if you have not been convicted of a felony....no psychological testing required. These are my personal experiences with handguns through the years.<BR/><BR/>At the age of 16, I worked at a local movie theatre, while taking a break in the managers office, two men barged through the door, ordered myself and two coworkers to the floor, I felt the circumference of a cold barreled handgun pressed against the back of my head, knowing damn sure this weapon of choice could end my life.<BR/><BR/>In my late twenties I was in a abusive marriage, I laid on the kitchen floor after an ass whooping, FROZEN with fear, because I knew the 9mm loaded handgun was only 10 steps away from him, and I knew when he walked into the bedroom, he was contemplating whether or not to use it, on me, if he had, I knew I'd be dead.<BR/><BR/>Recently, I was helping a friend at her jewelry store...an "odd" man entered the store, and my gut told me he wasn't there to make a purchase, he had a different agenda, as his back was to me, I visually searched his jacket pockets for a gun, and the rest of his clothing for the outline of a gun....IF he had had one, he'd have used it, no doubt in my mind. He no doubt had mental health issues. I quickly walked to the door of the store, flung it open, before my knees gave out below me, and told him to get the f*** out of the store. Police were called, and he was apprehended, but they can't jail you for being crazy, and not carrying a gun, hell, they can't jail you for being crazy AND carrying a gun, as long as you haven't been convicted of a felony.<BR/><BR/>My point is, handguns have only brought fear into my life, they have never put food on my table. They have NEVER protected me. The only time a gun enters my home is when my brother-in-law comes to visit while on duty, he is a sergeant detective for the sheriffs dept., and believe me, he feels out numbered by the amount of handguns and assault weapons out there. <BR/><BR/>Velvet, I am sorry to take up so much room, but that's just like me, I just barge in and plop my fanny down to talk ;)maxngabbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13573337074131005220noreply@blogger.com